PLANET VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY ADD 1 JULY 13, 12:10 p.m. — This just in from Pittsfield police chief Michael Wynn: On Sunday 7/12/2020 shortly after 9:00pm members of the Pittsfield Police Department (PPD) responded to two separate ShotSpotter Activations. The first incident occurred in the parking lot of the Berkshire Peak apartment […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JULY 10-2, 2020) — The culture wars, already burning but re-ignited by the BLM movement and other such nonsense, promise to get worse once the presidential election gets into gear after the conventions. Meanwhile, the daily battles give one the sense […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 8, 2020) — To start off, let your “cuppa joe” begin with news of the latest gunplay in Pittsfield. True, the city is still the backwaters when you compare it to the big leagues, places such as Chicago and Atlanta. Nonetheless, the […]
BY PLANET VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JULY 6, 2020) — The Boring Broadsheet‘s washy editorial on the demise of Carmen “Butch” Massimiano called his legacy “complicated.” The truth about this despicable public figure? His “legacy” was simple. THE PLANET broke news of Massimiano’s death eight days after he died. Certain […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY *>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>* LATE IN: FROM THE PITTSFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT: On July 2, 2020 at approximately 1502 hours, the Pittsfield Police Dept., Pittsfield Fire Dept. along with Action and County Ambulance responded to the area of 989 Williams St for a report of a three car motor vehicle crash […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (ADD 3, 7-1-20 6:53 p.m.) — Massiamano died on Thursday June 25 at BMC. He then “resigned” from the Pittsfield Planning Board on June 26. No public word. Something extremely odd is going on there. THE PLANET personally informed Kevin Moran of the Eagle, to eliminate any […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 29, 2020) — When The Ol’ Perfessor taught at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, one of our top students was a talented young man named Joe Glisson. Joe followed his dream and became a professional cartoonist. His cartoons were a regular feature of […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 26-8, 2020) — The Commonwealth’s Conflict of Interest laws are designed to prevent office holders from voting on matters where they can reasonably be perceived as having an evident financial interest in the outcome. Based on the law, THE PLANET […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 24, 2020) — Today THE PLANET begins with a victory lap. We — not The Berkshire Eagle (aka, The Boring Broadsheet), not iBerkshires, not radio or TV — just saved Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski millions. We guess at least $2 million — […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 22, 2020) — As part of the giant scam to skirt the budget hit COVID-19 has taken on every aspect of public and private economics, Ward 1’s Helen Moon lobbied for and, with the help of complicit councilors, successfully ordered the Pittsfield […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 19-21, 2020) — You’ve heard the old joke about the definition of mixed emotions: Seeing your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your new Cadillac (THE PLANET can relate!). Well, we have mixed emotions right now. Lordy, we have actually […]
PLANET VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020) — THE PLANET has stumbled on quite the James Bond story, this involving Ward 1 councilor Helen Moon. The supporting cast remains a bit of a mystery, but the casting office mentions district attorney Andrea Harrington, school superintendent Jake “JIV” McCandless, other […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 15, 2020) — “Without a data source I have to reject your statement ‘in light of the crime problem in Pittsfield.’ You’ve offered a single qualitative assessment of the city without supporting evidence. The PPD fields a range of calls and without the longitudinal […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 12-4, 2020) — Soon after the death of George Floyd, the cry went up in Minneapolis like smoke from a burned-out storefront: “Defund the Police.” Lawmakers took it literally. Nine of the 12 city councilors, a veto-proof majority (the mayor […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 10, 2020) — You already know about the late George Floyd, the drugged up convicted felon and ex-con arrested by Minnesota police on suspicion of passing counterfeit dough . You don’t know about the equally late David Dorn. After Floyd met an […]
BY DAN VALENTI PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY (FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY JUNE 8, 2020) — Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski received the best gift for which they could reasonably hope when the pandemic hit. The resulting economic turmoil — in Pittsfield, more like devastation, with the tourist economy all but destroyed — provided the […]
